Wednesday, December 22, 2010

On My 6th Day of Christmas Break...

...I decided that I still don't like to bake Christmas goodies.

Linda came over to help me since I still was not feeling well. She worked on banana bread while I worked on the motherlode cookie bars. It was definitely better having someone there to visit with! She was awesome at helping keep the dirty dishes under control. Once we did the banana bread and the motherlode bars, we worked on making cashew brittle, muddy buddies (yuck - note to self - don't make those again - they stink like coffee), and chocolate mint truffle biscotti. By the time we were done with those, I was worn out and not feeling up to doing more. And honestly, my desire to carry on the baking tradition had waned significantly.

My baking/candy making ability sucks. My cashew brittle wasn't brittle at all. It was totally chewy. I had used my microwave brittle recipe and I guess it needs to be tweaked so it says to make sure it's a golden brown color instead of just cooking it x number of minutes. Later in the evening I ended up prying it off the pan and put it in a pot on the stove and within just a couple of minutes, it was right where it needed to be. Yay! I'd saved my brittle. I packaged up some goodie boxes for Melon Man to take to his home teaching families, finished putting some things away in the kitchen, and then Melon Man and I watched some tv for a bit.

Tomorrow is cleaning day, tablesetting day, and final grocery day. I can't believe the big night is almost here. This is the third year in a row that I have been ill in one way or another for the holiday. I am bummed because I haven't been able to go all out as I've wanted to this year. I started off that way, but it quickly changed two weeks ago when I got sick. It just stinks.

Thomas S. Monson Said...

"With all the strength of my soul I testify that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He hears the prayers of humble hearts; He hears our cries for help. . . . His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, speaks to each of us today: 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him' (Revelation 3:20). Will we listen for that knock? Will we hear that voice? Will we open that door to the Lord, that we may receive the help He is so ready to provide? I pray that we will."

Henry B Eyring Said...

"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done." As I have begun doing this in my own life I have witnessed the quiet beauty of recognizing the hand of the Lord in my life every day."

Neil A. Maxwell Said...

"When life is hard, remember - we are not the first to ask, 'Is there no other way?'"